Mom gives birth to dead daughter – as she holds baby girl in her arms, husband whispers words she’ll never forget

Note: This story contains details and depictions of child loss that may upset some. Discretion is advised.

There is perhaps no scenario more heartbreakingly nightmarish for a parent than losing their child.

I can only imagine that the pain and sorrow at having to say goodbye to the thing you love most in all the world is enough to break even the hardiest of souls.

For Whitney Quinton and her husband Brett, that nightmare became reality when they were forced to bid farewell to their daughter before she’d even had a chance to live.

Whitney Quinton spent many years fighting a number of different illnesses and conditions, including endometriosis and adenomyosis.

After welcoming her first son, she suffered a terrible miscarriage in her next pregnancy, but continued to dream of one day giving her little boy a sibling.

Three years after her miscarriage, she underwent surgery for endometriosis, and soon after learned that she had fallen pregnant again.

Needless to say, after the heartache of what had happened before, Whitney and her partner were overjoyed.

Scans showed that the couple were expecting a little girl, though at the ultrasound when the gender was revealed, a scene that should have been one of undiluted happiness soon turned to tragedy.

The first warning sign for Whitney was that the scans were taking longer than usual.

“I started getting worked up while we waited and my husband tried to reassure me it would be okay,” .

“My mind was going a thousand miles a minute thinking about all of the things she could have and how scared I was.“

Soon came the news that every expectant parent dreads.

A radiologist stepped into the room and informed Whitney and her partner that their daughter’s heart was in the wrong spot. She was also missing a kidney, while her long bones were not growing, and she had severe abnormalities with her hands and feet.

“She then stated in very direct terms, ‘You can terminate this pregnancy in the next three weeks if you are unable to handle this‘, Whitney said.

“I let out a scream I didn’t even know I was capable of. I fell to my knees and kept screaming. I immediately had sheets of tears streaming down my face. My husband continued to rub my back while he too wept.“

Whitney went on to describe the difficulty of the following two weeks. Whitney and her husband were tired, confused and heartbroken. They underwent numerous tests and hospital visits, with doctors informing them that their unborn daughter would have a very low quality of life, if she survived at all.

She explained: “Day and night, my husband and I cried. We felt like we had nothing left to give. Selfishly, we wanted her.

“To us, she was perfect even though there were so many complications with her health. It didn’t matter to us. But as parents you learn that it’s not about what’s best for you, it’s about what’s best for her and what she would want.“